In Brief: Mathworks graduate students research classroom practices

Posted by Jayme BlaschkeUniversity News Service August 18, 2014

Math Education Ph.D. student Nama Namakshi leads math camp students in a discussion about a math concept. Namakshi combined hands-on fieldwork and scholarly research to further her dissertation work about math education and pedagogy.

Four graduate students in the Department of Mathematics at Texas State University used their time working in the Mathworks summer math programs to conduct research about pedagogy and classroom practices.

The work of Nama Namakshi, Christian Starkey, Sonalee Bhattacharyya and Jeanne-Marie Linker, all Mathematics Education students, was supported by the KDK-Harman, Meadows and Sid W. Richardson Foundations.

Working alongside math department faculty, the graduate students put their ideas to the test in the 2014 Junior Summer Math Camp (JSMC) program, which involved more than 200 students from the 4th-8th grade. The graduate students recorded classroom interactions between teachers and students, then developed and implemented their own lesson plans. They then analyzed the success of those math lessons and identified areas of improvement and success in the teaching of those math lessons.

About Mathworks

Founded in 1990, Mathworks serves as a center for the research and development of math education programs. Its annual summer math programs for young students are an ideal "laboratory" for Texas State's Math Education Ph.D. students to conduct research, discuss topics with professionals who teach every day, and generate new ideas that ultimately impact math achievement for all students. By providing these rich research opportunities, Mathworks is helping Texas State University lead the way in mathematics education.